Animal Ordinances in Los Angeles, CA (2026)
16 verified animal ordinances for Los Angeles, California, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Chickens & Livestock
Los Angeles limits rooster ownership to one per premises; existing owners of multiple roosters could seek a one-time permit to keep up to three as pets, but no new replacement roosters are allowed under that permit.
Animals: Chickens Livestock
Some RestrictionsLAMC § 53.71
No person or persons shall own, possess, maintain or have custody of more than one rooster on any lot, building, structure, property or premises within the City of Los Angeles, subject to the following exceptions: (a) This section shall not prohibit any business, educational facility or lawful animal exhibition from having or maintaining roosters, provided that such business, educational facili...
Dog Leash Laws
Dogs in Los Angeles public parks must be licensed and on a leash no more than 6 feet long, or confined in a vehicle. Licensed dogs may be off-leash in officially designated dog exercise and training areas at approved parks.
Animals: Dog Leash Laws
Light RestrictionsLAMC § 63.44 B.2(d)
2. No person shall cause, permit or allow any animal owned or possessed by them or any animal in their care, custody or control to be present in said park except: ... (d) Licensed dogs or cats when led by a leash not more than six (6) feet long, or when confined within the interior of a vehicle, or licensed dogs under the control of a competent person in designated dog exercise and training ar...
Breed Restrictions
Los Angeles does not have breed-specific legislation banning any dog breed. However, LAMC 53.06.1 requires all dogs over 4 months to be spayed or neutered unless the owner obtains an intact permit. Dangerous or vicious dog declarations are based on individual behavior, not breed, under LAMC 53.34.4.
Los Angeles Dog Breed Regulations
Significant RestrictionsCalifornia Food & Agricultural Code Sec. 31683 (State Preemption — Local Dog Programs May Not Be Breed-Specific)
31683. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to prevent a city or county from adopting or enforcing its own program for the control of potentially dangerous or vicious dogs that may incorporate all, part, or none of this chapter, or that may punish a violation of this chapter as a misdemeanor or may impose a more restrictive program to control potentially dangerous or vicious dogs. Except ...
Beekeeping
Backyard beekeeping is allowed as an accessory use in LA's RA, RE, RS, and R1 zones under detailed performance standards: including beekeeper registration, hive density limits, setbacks from lot lines, and mandatory bee-deflection barriers.
Animals: Beekeeping
Some RestrictionsLAMC § 12.07 A.13 (RA Suburban Zone — Backyard Beekeeping Standards)
13. Backyard beekeeping, as an accessory use, provided that: (Added by Ord. No. 183,920, Eff. 12/6/15.) (a) The person who is the owner of or in possession of an apiary is registered as a beekeeper with the County of Los Angeles Agricultural Commission. (b) The number of hives is limited to one for every 2,500 square feet of lot area. (c) Hives are not located in the required front yard of a...
Exotic Pets
Keeping any wild, exotic, dangerous, or non-domestic animal or reptile in Los Angeles requires a permit from the Department of Animal Services; circus or performing-animal shows using such animals are entirely prohibited.
Animals: Exotic Pets
Significant RestrictionsLAMC § 53.38; § 53.39
No person shall have, keep or maintain any wild, exotic, dangerous or non-domestic animal or reptile without first applying to and receiving from the Department a permit so to do. Provided, however, that the keeping or maintenance of such animals shall conform to the zoning regulations set forth in Article 2, Chapter 1 of this Code. The Department is hereby invested with the authority to issue...
Wildlife Feeding
Feeding or providing food to wild mammalian predators, including coyotes, foxes, raccoons, possums, and skunks, is a misdemeanor in Los Angeles, punishable by up to $1,000 fine and 6 months in jail.
Animals: Wildlife Feeding
Significant RestrictionsLAMC § 53.06.5
(a) No person shall feed or in any manner provide food or cause to be fed any non-domesticated mammalian predator including, but not limited to, coyotes, foxes, possums, raccoons and skunks. (b) This section shall not apply to any person who has legal possession of any non-domesticated mammalian predator and who has a permit from the State Department of Fish and Game to keep the animal. This se...
Pet Limits
Los Angeles limits residents to 3 dogs and 5 cats over 4 months of age per premises; owners of 4 or more cats face additional indoor, spay/neuter, microchip, and registration requirements.
Animals: Pet Limits
Significant RestrictionsLAMC § 53.06.1
(a) Dogs. No person shall keep or maintain more than three (3) dogs over four (4) months of age at any premises, including any Dwelling Unit as defined in Section 12.03, or at any lot, building, structure, enclosure, or premises that does not constitute a Dwelling Unit. (b) Cats. No person shall keep or maintain more than five (5) cats over four (4) months of age at any premises... Any person w...
Cat Rules
Los Angeles caps cats at 5 per premises and imposes strict additional requirements, indoor confinement, spay/neuter, microchip, and Department registration, on anyone keeping 4 or 5 cats; unaltered cats are also barred from unsupervised presence in public places.
Animals: Cat Rules
Significant RestrictionsLAMC § 53.06.1(b)
(b) Cats. No person shall keep or maintain more than five (5) cats over four (4) months of age at any premises, including any Dwelling Unit as defined in Section 12.03, or at any lot, building, structure, enclosure or premises that does not constitute a Dwelling Unit. Any person who keeps or maintains more than three (3) cats at any such location shall comply with the following requirements: 1....
Mandatory Spay/Neuter
Los Angeles requires all dogs and cats over 4 months of age to be spayed or neutered unless the owner has documented proof of an approved exemption such as show competition, service-animal status, or a veterinary medical reason.
Animals: Mandatory Spay Neuter
Significant RestrictionsLAMC § 53.15.2(b)(2)
No person, within the City of Los Angeles, shall own a dog or cat over the age of four months that has not been spayed or neutered, unless valid written documentation is provided to show proof that the animal is exempt from the requirement to be spayed or neutered by reason of one of the following, and is in compliance with Subdivisions (3) and (4) below: A. The dog or cat is a breed approved b...
Microchipping
Pets kept in City-publicly-financed rental housing must be implanted with an electronic animal identification microchip. Landlords who receive public financing from the City must allow tenants to keep pets that meet this requirement.
Animals: Microchipping
Some RestrictionsLAMC § 51.21(B) and § 51.22(B) (Ord. No. 186,228, Eff. 8/25/19)
Each pet maintained pursuant to this article shall be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, implanted with an electronic animal identification device (microchip) and, if required, licensed. The pet shall be maintained consistent with all state and local laws and regulations, and not constitute a nuisance to the housing development and/or to the other tenants. (LAMC § 51.22 B) 'Pet' means a common ho...
Coyote Management
Trapping coyotes in Los Angeles requires a $200 permit from the Department of Animal Services, which may impose conditions including neighbor notification; inhumane traps such as leg-holds and body-gripping traps are banned entirely.
Animals: Coyote Management
Some RestrictionsLAMC § 53.06.3
(a) No person shall set, or cause to be set, any trap to catch any animal, other than rats, mice, pocket gophers, ground squirrels and moles, without having first obtained a permit therefor from the Department prior to the setting of any such trap. (b) The Department shall charge and collect for issuance of a permit to trap a coyote a fee of $200.00. (c) The Department shall establish condition...
Pet Store Rules
Pet shops in the C2 zone with four or more dogs at least four months old must meet detailed density, space, and operational standards, including a limit of one adult dog or cat per 45 square feet of floor area and a maximum of 40 total animals.
Animals: Pet Store Rules
Significant RestrictionsLAMC § 12.14 A.1.(b)(4)
(4) Any Pet Shop where four or more dogs that are each at least four months of age are kept or maintained shall comply with the following: (Added by Ord. No. 186,372, Eff. 12/10/19.) (i) Development Standards: a. The total number of adult dogs and/or cats in a Pet Shop shall not exceed one for every 45 square feet of floor area of the facility, rounded up to the nearest whole numb...
Pet Groomer Rules
Operating a pet grooming parlor in Los Angeles requires a permit from LA Animal Services before opening, with a $180 permit fee under LAMC § 53.50. The permit must be renewed annually and posted on-site, or the business is operating unlawfully.
LA Animal Grooming Parlor Permit Required
Some RestrictionsLos Angeles Municipal Code (LAMC) § 53.50(a)(1), (f)(11)
It shall be unlawful for any person, without first obtaining a permit from the Department pursuant to this section, to operate or conduct a business or enterprise in the City of Los Angeles that involves keeping or exhibiting animals, including, but not limited to, a dog kennel, cat kennel, pet shop, Zoo, wildlife conservation center, animal rental establishment, animal grooming parlor, riding ...
Veterinary Clinic Zoning
Los Angeles treats veterinary hospitals, kennels, and animal boarding as an MR1 Restricted Industrial Zone use, not a neighborhood clinic: the code explicitly excludes animal hospitals from the general 'hospitals and sanitariums' use allowed in residential and commercial zones. Outdoor animal keeping and open runs are banned outright, and any new kennel or breeding/boarding facility within 500 feet of a residential zone needs a conditional use permit before construction.
Los Angeles Veterinary Hospital Zoning Rules
Significant RestrictionsLos Angeles Municipal Code § 12.17.5 B.3.o
o. Veterinary, dog and cat hospitals, kennels, or facilities for breeding and boarding of animals (no outside keeping of animals - no open runs). In no case, however, shall any new kennel or animal breeding and boarding facility be constructed where any portion of the parcel is located within 500 feet of a residential zone without obtaining a conditional use permit pursuant to Section 12.24 o...
Bird Protection
Los Angeles prohibits killing songbirds or destroying their nests; impounding wild or domestic birds without proper food, water, and adequate space is also unlawful.
Animals: Bird Protection
Some RestrictionsLAMC § 53.48; § 53.46
No person shall kill any song bird or destroy or rob the nest of any such bird. No person shall impound any wild or domestic fowl or bird unless provision is made by such person, for the proper feeding and the furnishing of water to such fowl or bird at intervals not longer than twelve hours apart. No person shall impound any wild or domestic fowl or bird in a crate, box or other enclosure, wh...
Wildlife Rescue Permits
Anyone caring for injured native wildlife in Los Angeles must hold a California Department of Fish and Wildlife Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit under Fish and Game Code §1020. LA Animal Services and LA County DACC coordinate intake; CDFW-permitted facilities like California Wildlife Center and Pasadena Humane handle most cases.
Wildlife Rehabilitation Requires CDFW Permit Plus Local Coordination
Some RestrictionsCDFW Native Wildlife Rehabilitation Program
Injured, sick, and orphaned wild animals may be temporarily possessed for rehabilitation by a person in California under a Native Wildlife Rehabilitation Permit issued by CDFW. Trained wildlife rehabilitators provide treatment and care of these animals for the purpose of their release, in a condition of good health, to suitable habitat in the wild. Wildlife rehabilitators have an important role...
Looking for Los Angeles County county-wide rules?
County ordinances apply to unincorporated areas and may supplement Los Angeles city rules.
Animal Ordinances in Los Angeles County →